Within the midst of a breakot season, Philadelphia Union central defender Mark McKenzie is predicted to be a frontrunner of the present U.S. U-20 staff, which can start World Cup qualifying subsequent week.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
October 23, 2018
8:00 AM
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THE UNITED STATES U-20 World Cup qualifying staff has been named by head coach Tab Ramos and for a majority of the gamers, will probably be their sole focus. For Mark McKenzie, nevertheless, November will see him divide his time between being a starter within the MLS playoffs and with the U.S. U-20 staff.
McKenzie, 19, is among the most promising tales in MLS concerning the event of younger American gamers. Over the course of the season, the Delaware native has emerged as a frequent starter for the Philadelphia Union the place he has performed over 1500 league minutes and over 1800 minutes throughout all competitions, to this point.
However numbers solely inform a part of the story. Along with Auston Trusty, Philadelphia has utilized a really younger American central protection tandem to assist the membership exceed all expectations this 12 months. The staff has already clinched a spot within the playoffs and on Sunday in opposition to New York Metropolis, it is going to try and safe dwelling discipline benefit for the first-round knockout recreation.
Between U-20 World Cup qualifying, the place he’s seen as one in every of his staff’s greatest gamers, and the postseason for Philadelphia, McKenzie has loads on his plate – however is dealing with all of it by merely specializing in the sport at hand.
“I am not prioritizing,” McKenzie informed ASN. “I am with my club at the moment so my focus is helping my club in any way I can. The U-20 tournament is still over a week away so I am just focused on the Union and going as far as we can in the playoffs. When the national team comes, I’ll be ready. But I am trying not to look to far ahead and stay focused on the task at hand.”
Whereas the Union has his undivided consideration, it doesn’t imply that McKenzie doesn’t have his ideas about how the U-20 staff may do on this event. At a latest camp in Florida, McKenzie was chosen by Ramos to put on the captain’s armband and he has been part of the staff this 12 months each time his membership necessities don’t battle.
For the primary time ever, the US will take part on the CONCACAF U-20 Championships because the defending champion after profitable it for the primary time in 2017. However this event presents its personal challenges, provided that the primary stage has a grueling schedule with 5 video games being performed each different day from November 1-9. Presently, it’s unclear when McKenzie will be part of the U.S. staff.
Consequently, each participant on the roster should be ready to begin a number of instances and, with the staff needing to complete first, one dangerous end result may price them a spot on the World Cup.
“It’ll be a new experience playing that many games in that short a period of time,” McKenzie defined. “Ultimately, everybody is going to have to be ready whenever their name is called. Unfortunately, injuries play a part in the game and fatigue will set in as the games go on. You have to make sure you are taking good care of yourself on and off the field and well as staying sharp mentally so you can handle your responsibilities.
“I see a lot of potential in this group,” he added. “We have guys coming from all over, guys with great experience. We have players based in Europe and guys based in MLS. It’s a great mix. We had a great showing in March in Europe which is a nice preview of what’s to come. When the guys are together and firing on full cylinders, I have full confidence in the team. We can make a push but we have to take it one game at a time.”
McKenzie’s success this 12 months has earned spectacular reward from teaching employees and veteran gamers. Former U.S. World Cup midfielder Maurice Edu performed with McKenzie final 12 months throughout a rehab stint with the Union’s USL affiliate Bethlehem Metal. In McKenzie, he noticed a participant that had a variety of instruments.
“I first saw Mark play a few years back with the Steel and was impressed by his athleticism and physical tools and then saw he could play as well,” Edu stated. “I knew he’d make it to the first team and I’m impressed with, first, how quickly he’s made that transition and, second, how well he’s done at that level. He’s a level headed kid with a lot of personality and very eager to learn and get better. Very coachable and very respected amongst his peers. Comes as no surprise to me that he’d be U-20 captain [last camp]. On the pitch he’s vocal from the back and leads with his play. He’s a good young pro and carries himself well. I think he’s made great progress through the Union’s system and I’m excited to see his continued growth and development.”
Union head coach Jim Curtin agrees
“His ability to not just dominate physically whether it is in the air, in duels, or in 1v1’s — but also how good he [is] with the ball,” Curtin stated after a recreation in July. “He played through the lines and played passes that eliminate five or six defenders at a time. I think he had one mistake maybe with the ball; we will still pick on him and be hard on him because we want him to get better. But we’re really happy with his growth.”
One of many huge areas the place McKenzie has labored arduous this 12 months has been in watching video of himself to breakdown particular areas of the place he can enhance – one thing which he had by no means executed extensively in his previous.
The outcomes of movie have made him centered and decided to grow to be a central defender that matches into the trendy fashion of the sport. Whereas he has an enormous bodily construct to assist him on the defensive aspect, he has developed his recreation to grow to be extra snug on the ball to the purpose the place he could be a part of the primary wave of assault.
— Adam Cann (@adamtcann) October 23, 2018
“On the field, I am getting more comfortable carrying the ball into the midfield,” McKenzie stated. “It’s unknown territory leaving your position. The last thing I want to do is leave my team in jeopardy. But the more minutes you play and the more you work on it in practice, you’re able to carry the ball into the midfield and draw midfielders and play the ball while not overcomplicating it.”
“Occasionally there will be times in the game where you can play a long diagonal, and I always work on that too,” he continued. “I like to initiate the attack from the back, which is a big part of the game these days – being the first wave of the attack. The more you can eliminate players from the other side, the easier it can make it for your forwards and midfielders.”
Ought to the usU-20 staff succeed once more this cycle, it is going to mark the most recent time Ramos has been in a position to construct a strong U-20 staff with Philadelphia Union gamers taking part in a job. The 2017 World Cup staff featured Auston Trusty and Derrick Jones. The present staff for qualifying has not solely McKenzie but in addition Union homegrown signees Matt Actual and Anthony Fontana on it.
The pipeline between the Union and U.S. youth nationwide groups could be very sturdy in the intervening time and it isn’t one thing that’s misplaced on the membership’s gamers.
“It’s a testament to the club and its investment in youth,” McKenzie stated. “They are developing players that can ultimately move to the first team. Everybody progresses at different stages and the organization recognizes that. They are putting together plans for everyone to be their best. We have a handful of guys who have youth national team experience but it all starts here with the club and their role in investing and taking the time to grooming us.”
As Jim Curtin and Maurice Edu have famous, McKenzie is one with a brilliant future and if the U.S. U-20 staff qualifies for the World Cup and the Union impress within the playoffs, 2019 will present much more alternatives for the Bronx-born, Delaware-raised product.
“Coming in was matter of me putting my head down and putting in the work to prove to the group, and myself, that I belonged here,” McKenzie stated of the begin to his profession with Philadelphia. “I was blessed enough to come back to the club and I’m thankful for the club for taking a chance on me.
“It’s my first time being in a professional setup for this level,” he concluded. “I have confidence in my ability. I understand I have areas where I need to grow, but as long as I put the work in, I think I can go as far as I can.”
